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I need to know if there is an easy way to remove spray paint from a helmet. I primed it, put a coat of gloss white on, and it left spots that paint wouldn't cover. I have to start over, but sandpaper isn't working well, any ideas?

not sure what you mean by "it left spots". did you spray the paint and you have like little "round" areas where the paint didn't cover and you can see the primer? if that is the case you have had some residue left on the primer that the paint did not adhere to(fisheyes). whatever you paint be it a helmet a car or whatever else you should always use a silicone remover before you paint. just touching the primer with your fingers could lead to areas where the paint won't adhere to. your only solution is sanding it down and start over. or you could try paint thinner, but that's messy and could destroy your item if it can't handle the thinner.

What grit are you sanding with? I'd recommend 100g just to start, then go up to a 200g before you prime it again. When you prime it, be sure to paint in clean even coats. What you could have done instead of sanding it completely would be to use a sandsponge, wet it down, and sand the spot that way, then repaint the area.

yep, thats your fisheyes. poor preparation is usually the cause of it.(too much paint in betweeen coats can aid in this poor result as well) .sand it down so you get the spots level, clean it with silicone remover, spray over it and your done.

in the top picture i can also see runs. looks like you tried to "fix" it by adding even more paint over the fisheyes. more paint will just worsen it. once you encounter fisheyes you should immediately stop painting let it dry and clean and start over.

in order not to destroy your piece by sanding away too many details i'd use 400 grit and wet sand the bad areas and the rest of it until you get a smooth finish again. you should then be able to spray the white again. if you use paper that is too coarse now, you will always have scratches shining through your paintjob. i'd do 400 first and another run with 600, then paint. but don't forget the silicone remover before you paint again.

sorry, but shaking the can has nothing to do with it. the paint did not adhere to the primer. used by "oily" residue. you can google fisheyes and you'll find all the reasons and explanations for what you mandosoldier are experiencing. you don't have to believe me, i'm only painting for 22+ years.

what do you mean by wet sand? Do i just get the helmet wet and sand it?

wet sanding means: you use special sand paper that you can "wet" sand with. you can usually find those type of sandpapers in your automotive supply store. wet sanding does not clog up your sandpaper that quick and gives a better endresult. wet sanding is just another technique used for preparation. when you wet sand, you try to keep water in between the paint and your sandpaper. easily done. just take a piece of your sandpaper, dip it in water and start sanding, don't let the area to be worked on get too dry or the paper will clog up quick. meaning you would go through a lot of paper before you are done. wet sanding with fine paper is not as abrasive, will take a bit longer to level the surface, but you will get a better endresult. if you go to town with say 240 grit and paint over it you'll notice hairline scratches in the white. the trick to a good paint job is always preparation, preparation, preparation. painting is the easy part, it doesn't take long, but all your mistakes in bad preparation will show through. you can google all those terms and probably get a better explanation of wet sanding, fisheyes, and how to avoid all that stuff.
and always do a few thin layers with adequate time to let the paint dry and breathe before applying more coats. you can always sand in between coats to build up an even shinier, more even surface. don't risk your paintjob by applying one thick coat and have the paint run down on your helmet, runs and drips are even worse to look at.

Ive done this many times whilst painting, and i have pinpointed it to numerous reasons, most of which are listed here above, such as fingerprints, too much paint, and yes Volkerc even shaking the can is a mitigating factor in it, depending on the accelerant.

When I had these problems painting with spray cans, i primarily found that there was 2 distinct rules i had to strictly adhere to to make sure i didnt stuff the paint up. main points in capitals so not to lose track of them :P

1. DONT RUSH IT!!! take your time and put down many thin coats, not just 1-2 heavy coats.. the paint will dry faster done thinner and also you can easily see any imperfections (such as greasey fingerprints) early on and can easily fix them.

2. When Spraying, dont think that spraying closer will waste less paint... STAND FURTHER BACK FROM THE MODEL PIECE. The accelerant used in the cans could affect the surface by making a 'cold burn' which never can be covered up, but also gives you a very uneven paintjob as the spray will only focus on one area, not the whole thing like you need.

Hope that will help you for next time, and listen to the sanding advice given here, its the best way to fix the problem good luck

I have a question for Volker, and it may also help the OP. Would you recommend painting while wearing latex gloves or some such?

would i recommend it? i don't use any gloves, so i get a better feel when handling the airbrush/ paint gun/ spray can. what you need is a clean working environment, meaning an area where you have space, and that is somewhat free of dust, and that has less chance of air contaminants ruining your paintjob. not everybody has access to a paint booth though. when working with paint make sure you protect yourself so you don't breathe the stuff in, and try to avoid spraying yourself, if you think you need gloves for that, use them, i don't.

would i recommend it? i don't use any gloves, so i get a better feel when handling the airbrush/ paint gun/ spray can. what you need is a clean working environment, meaning an area where you have space, and that is somewhat free of dust, and that has less chance of air contaminants ruining your paintjob. not everybody has access to a paint booth though. when working with paint make sure you protect yourself so you don't breathe the stuff in, and try to avoid spraying yourself, if you think you need gloves for that, use them, i don't.

I was more concerned with touching the piece, not spraying myself. hehehe. I've read a lot about taking the helmets and sealing them in a container to let the paint dry completely between layers.

I was more concerned with touching the piece, not spraying myself. hehehe. I've read a lot about taking the helmets and sealing them in a container to let the paint dry completely between layers.

makes no difference sealing them in a container. this topic could go on and on, cause there are so many techniques and a gazillion of different paints out there. i take it, if you want to seal it in a container you are concerned about dust particles in your paint, you get some regardless, just by placing it in the container. whatever your container is. before there was paint booths, cars were just painted outside or in garages and you would have particles enclosed in the paint, but you could sand those out with 2000 grit and polish it up. so the point i'm trying to make is, different items require different techniques, paints, and there are always solutions about fixing a mistake made. when i look at a fett costume, i wouldn't mind a particle in the paint, or some rough looking paint, cause if i look at fetts character, he would have most likely painted his armor himself, or fixed it up after some "fights". take a vader or a stormie, whole different story. i would want a squeaky clean, super shiny armor with no dust particles in my paint, like an automotive paintjob. cause those guys would not paint their stuff. they go and pick up mass produced armor, that get's dirtied up then in the battles. so i'd take a different approach painting those. and thats what mandosoldier has to deal with, laying on a superb paint job first with no drips, runs and sags....

Also, that looks like a clone helmet... none of those are shiny glossy white. they are weathered and rugged looking, so a couple of dust particles would just be blended in.

but only after they have been in battle. i tried to make the point that when they (the clones) had them issued they would be squeaky clean with a terrific gloss to it(AOTC), like our stormies on the death star. from that point on they get beat up. so it was my point in order to replicate the look to start with a terrific paint job and THEN work the damages in. i don't see how one would want to apply a crappy paint job and then add the damaged look to it. doesn't look lifelike to me if you know what i mean.

atm it looks kinda beat up when you're up close, but from like 3 ft away it looks pretty decent. I wil add a beat up look, and you really won't be able t tell the difference. I am in no way a great painter, and can't afford the work of someone who is, so I have to settle for pretty good for me. With the scratches/weathering/color of the rest of the armor, it shouldn't look too bad. I'll post photos as I progress. And yes it is a clone helmet from Episode 3 to be exact.

atm it looks kinda beat up when you're up close, but from like 3 ft away it looks pretty decent. I wil add a beat up look, and you really won't be able t tell the difference. I am in no way a great painter, and can't afford the work of someone who is, so I have to settle for pretty good for me. With the scratches/weathering/color of the rest of the armor, it shouldn't look too bad. I'll post photos as I progress. And yes it is a clone helmet from Episode 3 to be exact.

if you are not a great painter, then patience is your friend. it'll help you get a better result then if you'd rush things. i'm sure we all would love to see your finished product.

ok here's what I have so far, like I said you can tell, but even from this far away it's not screaming obvious especially if you don't do this stuff yourself and know what to look for. With some weathering and the color for the unit designation, it will be even less noticeable from even a little ways away.

yep. thats pretty much all ya gotta do
i really cant sugest letting this stay. ive been experimenting with spray-paints for a few days(usually a fine arts kinda guy8)), and noticed that "wet" sanding is one of the better ways to rid of this problem. i think its a mix of everything exept a problem with the primer. mostly grease, air bubbles, and of course too much paint, too quickly. just take your time with it, and dont stress over it!
good luck!YOU CAN DO IT MANDOSOLDIER! PAINT THAT FRIKIN HELMET!